It was a cold, damp night.
The entire day had been subject to the relentless downpour of rain, making everything wet from the concrete streets to the clothes people wore even if they were shielded under some sort of canopy. The weather had only seemed to plummet in degree, settling now at a bone-chilling temperature that scared everyone from entering outside.
Everyone, except for you.
You had done this often times before, sneaking away from the house and slipping into the looming shadows until you made it past the safe mark and could walk freely. You would take the night, the rain or snow, the cold or terribly hot, because you needed it. You needed the freedom, the chance to breathe in the fresh air, and get away from all of that. You had witnessed far too much in just the short span of your ten year old life, things that no one your age should have ever gone through but that was the thing with this business your father was in. Often times the lines and boundaries between work and family would blur and, when you only had your father as your caregiver, you needed somewhere to stay even if that somewhere was his work environment.
You knew that what your father did wasnt a normal job but you were starting to believe that normal, whatever it was, didnt exist for you. You could see normality in the few years you had been in school, could see it when you had escaped your home on those late nights to wander the streets. You saw it in the children laughing, children your age, in the couples you saw walking hand-in-hand down the street, or the family smiling at the park. You had never gotten to experience that and maybe that was because the life you had was the only normal thing you knew.
You still remembered when your father pulled you out of school, claiming that it was just too hectic to balance his work with your life especially with your mother gone. He would keep you home, find you a tutor so you could be homeschooled, find you a friend (but, really, she was just someone who worked in the house as a maid), and make sure you always had someone, someone like a bodyguard, near you at all times. You didnt know where your father had found these people but he seemed to have his shady connections. Whatever the case, he kept you locked away in your room most of the time, safe on the upper floors of the mansion in the middle of nowhere that was your home. Over time you were quick to realize that maybe he kept you from the real world, and from him, so that he could pretend you never existed and wouldnt have to worry about you getting in the way. That man may have been your father but he certainly didnt act like one and, at first, you would blame him for it but, as you grew older, you knew he had no choice but to act that way.
Maybe he did love you and maybe he did care about you. Maybe that was why he constantly kept you from the real world, constantly warned you about the dangers that lurked outside, but how could learn from or about these dangers when you never got to experience them? Everyone had warned you about the risk of walking outside the mansion, from Jin to IU to your father, and yet you ignored them and snuck off with only IU keeping your secret hidden. You may not have trusted where your father hired these people from but, over time, she and Jin would become your closest friends.
Every time you had snuck away from the house, you had always come back unscathed. You would hardly see anyone and no one would ever see you because, even though you might have been young, you werent that stupid to freely frolic about in the streets. You may have ignored your fathers warnings but you still considered the fact that he dealt in a sketchy business and that you should keep your head up and eyes opened at all times.
But that night was very different from what you considered to be your normal.
That night was when everything seemed to change.
At first you hadnt even noticed him in the darkness of the night, thinking that maybe it was a dead street animal or maybe some sort of tree branch that lay in your way. The street lights that were planted on the sides of the road were spaced out and you had been walking the distance in between them with only the soft orange glows from the light behind you and the one a few feet in front of you casted on the night. As you approached the figure in the street, you were quick to realize that it wasnt a dead animal or tree branch but a boy.
You would have walked right passed him, maybe even have turned around and walked away, because you didnt want to deal with any unnecessary encounters. Maybe he was drunk, maybe he was a beggar you didnt know and, frankly, you didnt care until you noticed that he wasnt moving.
The next thing your eyes landed on was his tattered and torn clothes that were soaked from being rained on and the scarlet red that dripped from his clothes and mingled with the puddle he lay in, swirling around him like some sort of painting.
Your first instinct, being only a ten year old who was still full of (albeit, dwindling) compassion for this twisted world, was to help. Your heart sank to your stomach and your mouth dropped open. You approached the boy slowly, cautiously, your hand balling into fists around the small switchblade knife you carried in the pocket of your raincoat just in case.
Hello? Your voice was steady, loud enough for him to hear. Are you okay?
The boy didnt reply and your face creased with concern. You pushed yourself forward, slowly closing the distance between you and the boy until you were finally standing over him and the sight you saw would have been ingrained in your mind from that day on.
The boy was roughly your age, with a soft and round face and a button nose. His dark hair hung over his forehead, damp from the rain and covered in dirt. He was curled up in a ball, his sweater and jeans torn. He was covered in mud from head to toe and blood seemed to be caked into every crevice of his skin and under his fingernails, places that the rain couldnt touch and wash away. You were almost frightened to see where the blood was coming from but how could you simply avoid it? At the time you had thought the knife had hit his heart and you were both shocked and in awe that the boy was still breathing with the amount of scarlet red that had been seeping out of him.
It didnt frighten you to see the wound. You had seen nasty gashes like those before as the men that worked for your father were rushed into the house before you were shooed away by Jin and IU. No, you accustomed to seeing blood, but what frightened you was the fact that the person lay limply in front of you was a young boy, someone who was your age. You had thought, in your innocent and child-like mind, that it was impossible for someone your age to be a victim of any sort of torture. That being your age meant you were automatically safe from any sort of attack but you werent.
You couldnt quite remember what had happened next or if you had called Jin or ran back to the house to get him. You knew Jin was angry at you for sneaking out and angry at IU for keeping it a secret but Jin had a kind heart and wouldnt tell your father anything if you told him not to. However, when you wound up showing Jin a bloodied and bruised boy who looked very familiar to him, Jin knew that he had to tell your father because that would be the right thing to do. And yet he wouldnt because for some reason you seemed so worried and scared for the boy and, really, you were both just children so how could Jin possibly tell your father and risk the two of you getting hurt? So, Jin wouldnt tell your father what you had seen and he and IU would help carry the unconscious boy back to the mansion, sneaking him in when no one was paying attention and keep him in the attic (a place no one ever went up to). It was a good thing Jin knew a lot about wounds and medicine in general, having once practiced in the profession. It was part of the reason why your father had recruited Jin so long ago (even if he was only in his late teens) because he needed Jins expertise in desperate measures amongst his other abilities.
It was a long process to try and mend the poor boy and, if it hadnt been for the needle that Jin injected in the boy that knocked him unconscious before Jin started aiding the wounds, then you were sure the boy would have screamed and yelled because of the pain. You werent allowed to watch as Jin sewed up the boy since IU had ushered you out of the attic to get you cleaned up for bed. But that night, when you couldnt sleep and could only think about the state of the boy, you would get to your feet and silently tiptoe out of your room, around the men that patrolled the halls for security, until you made it to the attic (the access of which was placed in IUs room, who had been sleeping soundlessly when you arrived).
You would climb the stairs carefully and peer out onto the wooden landing to see the boy resting on the makeshift cot Jin had thrown together. The boy was still unconscious but you noticed his wounds had been stitched together. You quietly moved to the boy and sat down beside him and the bed, your stare fixated on his boyish face. You hated seeing his skin still caked with blood, so you looked around until you found a basin and some rags that Jin had been using earlier to clean his wounds. You grabbed a rag, wet it, and then leaned over the boy to very lightly and softly wipe away at his dirt and blood covered face. He winced in his sleep, his eyebrows knitting together and his mouth dropping open to let out a soft whimper. You paused suddenly, your gaze softening as you looked at him sympathetically.
Its okay, You whispered. Im not going to hurt you. Im just going to clean you, okay?
He didnt reply back to you of course he didnt, but you werent expecting him to, anyway. He cried out softly in his sleep again and you werent too sure if it was because of the pain he felt or if he was having a nightmare. Either way, you delicately pressed the cloth to his cheek to clean him. As you did so, you hummed quietly to yourself. It was a tune you remembered your mother had once sang to you so long ago. You couldnt remember the words if there were any words at all but it was a song that meant a lot to you and a song that you would never forget. It helped soothe you when you were younger and even then but you werent too sure if you were singing it for the sake of yourself or for the boy. At the time, you liked to think that it was helping the boy because his scrunched up face relaxed and his weary whimpering stopped.
See? Not so bad, huh? You said, wiping the cloth at the dirt on his neck. You must be really scared, arent you? I would be, too. You look like youre my age I couldnt imagine being in as much pain as you must be in now but its okay. Youll get better. I know you will.
You didnt know why you liked the boy so much or why you talked to him in such a soothing manner. You assumed it was because you felt sorry for him, because you sympathized with him even though you had no idea who he was.
I wonder who did this to you, You mused thoughtfully. And why?
You tilted your head to the side as you inspected the sleeping and unresponsive boy. You would resume humming your song to him, cleaning your way down his neck when you something would catch your eye. Resting around his neck and hanging loosely down the front of his chest was a thin silver chain with two tags on the end that recognized as military tags. Curious, you reached out to grab onto them, letting your fingers run across the smooth cool metal. You flipped one of them over to see the initials J.J. etched into the bottom.
Hes a Jeon.
Jins voice startled you, making you drop the necklace and spin around to see the older boy standing behind you. At first, you didnt realize what he had said but then it registered in your mind. J.J. Did one of those Js really stand for Jeon? Jin must have known because he was a close adviser of sorts to your father and knew everything there was to know about this business and the different people involved. You looked down at the boy, at a Jeon, and your mouth dropped open.
You arent getting rid of him, are you? You asked worriedly. Please dont tell my father.
Jin didnt answer you. Instead, he walked forward a bit and put a hand on your shoulder.
Hes lucky he survived, Jin said. He has a broken rib and the knife didnt even puncture his heart, only his shoulder. Whoever did this either purposely missed his heart and wanted him to live or they have very bad aim.
Jin, You whispered. Please dont tell him.
Jin looked up at you and let out a sigh. I wont like it but I wont tell your father. This Jeon is only a kid and hes already been through enough. He needs rest, anyway. Which reminds me you shouldnt be up here.
Im the one who saw him on the street, You protested. I want to make sure hes okay. And if he really is a Jeon like you said, then I have to make sure you dont sell him out to my father or anyone else. He trusts me.
He doesnt know who you are, Jin said. You know what his people have done, Y/N. Hes probably just like them.
You dont know that, You said stiffly, getting to your feet. But what does it matter anyway? Youre all the same in the end. Killing is second nature to all of you now, isnt it?
Jin would watch as you tossed the cloth to the ground and then stormed away and out of the attic to retreat back to your room. His eyes would fall upon the Jeon boy once more but he didnt feel angry or vengeful like he thought he would if he had ever seen a Jeon up close.
And, as Jin sat there next to the boy, he realized that maybe it was because he was only just a boy and you were only just a girl and neither of you deserved to be caught up in all of this mess.
Two weeks would pass as you, Jin, and IU aided to the Jeon boy.
The first day he finally woke up and actually had vivid consciousness, he was screaming and yelling to get away from Jin and IU. You only heard him because you had been making your way toward the attic and rushed the rest of the way to see the boy thrashing about on the cot, trying to claw his way out of Jins grasp as Jin ordered IU to fetch him some sort of sedative.
Just as IU was handing Jin the needle, you jumped in the way of the two boys and threw yourself against the Jeon boy. He was still yelling even when you had approached him but then you were introducing yourself, telling him your name in a gentle voice, and telling him how you had found him on the street and that you and your friends were helping heal him back to health. The boy would sit back in his seat, his stare shifting from Jin and IU to glance down at you.
I remember you, he had said. I heard your voice.
You would nod and reassure him that it was you, that he was okay, and that you needed him to rest. And he would because, for some odd reason, he trusted you, this girl he had never seen before in his life but was so gentle and unlike anything he had seen or heard before.
The days to follow would consist of you waking up as early as you could before sneaking off to see the Jeon boy. He never told you his name and you never told him your last name because you were afraid if he found out the truth, he would do something stupid to harm him or you. Instead, you befriended him. You would bring him food and carry books to the attic to read him tales of victorious heroes slaying dragons and other ferocious beasts and wicked villains. It took his mind off of the pain and he enjoyed hearing your voice as you read to him in the early morning sun or the warm afternoon glow or during the late night with the moonlight seeping in from the only circular window in the attic. You would help clean his wounds, find him a new pair of clothes to change into, and keep him company for the days to follow.
One night, a few days just before everything seemed to go downhill, you would be sitting with the boy and gazing out of the window. You had just finished telling him a story about a knight rescuing a damsel in distress and now you were just sitting there, staring hopefully out at the sky. You would look down at him and smile softly, your eyes finally flickering to the necklace he wore.
Youre a Jeon, arent you? You asked.
The boy would nod slowly, carefully. Who are you?
You pursed your lips, clutching the book in your hand as you stared back out at the sky.
My father doesnt like Jeons, You mumbled. I dont think your father would like me either.
And the boys eyes would widen because he hadnt expected that the girl who had saved him was the daughter of the man who was his fathers worst enemy. He would gap, staring at you in disbelief and his body would tense because he was told all his life to never trust your family but then he reminded himself that you were different. A good different that he liked.
I dont care, The boy replied. Youre nice.
That kind of thinking could get you killed, You said.
If you or your friends were going to kill me, you would have already done it, The boy said. Or you would have left me on the street to die but you didnt. You even stepped in the way of your friend and me to protect me and I heard you beg him to let me stay, to not give me away.
Your head snapped in his direction. You heard that?
He nodded and sat back in the cot. Thats why youre nice, he said. Youre different than them.
And you would stare at him in disbelief and then lean forward to kiss his cheek. He would blush and stare at you with wide eyes which only made you giggle before you got to your feet and started walking away.
Its getting late. We should go to sleep, You said. Ill see you tomorrow.
The boy would watch you leave, smiling softly to yourself, and then he, too, would recline back in bed and smile at the thought of you. He liked you, he did, and he knew that was the worst mistake he could have ever made.
The next day would continue as usual.
You would visit the boy, then return downstairs for your daily lessons and say hello to your father. However, somewhere between the afternoon and nightfall, when the sky was dark, something went terribly wrong.
IU would come running to you as you sat in your room and tell you that your father had found out about the Jeon boy. She told you that he didnt know the boy was in the house but that he thought that some Jeon was nearby, lurking near the mansion and therefore your turf. So you would spring to your feet and drag IU with you, running up to the attic where Jin was changing the boys bandages. And, upon seeing Jin, you would burst out into a fit of anger and throw yourself against him, shouting at him to get away from the boy.
You lied to me! You yelled. You said you wouldnt tell my father!
Hey, hey! Calm down, Y/N! Jin snapped, reaching out to grab onto you. What are you talking about?
IU and the boy would stare up at the two of you, unsure of how to handle the situation and try to slip back into the shadows of the room.
My father knows! You cried out. He knows a Jeon is near us and if he finds him hes going to kill him!
You pointed a finger at the boy and both his and Jins jaws dropped open.
Is that true? Jin asked, glancing behind you to IU who would nod solemnly.
So, Jin would let go of you and then look down at the boy, his mind wheeling as he tried to think of what to do.
Dont look away from me, Jin! You snapped stubbornly. You did this!
I didnt do anything! Jin said. I swear I didnt. I dont know how your father found out. My guess is this kids father is looking for him and news spreads fast when that happens especially when hes practically the heir to the whole Jeon line.
Jin turned around, looking down at the three of you in front of him.
Do you know where her father is? he asked IU who shook her head.
Okay, Jin said, turning to the boy, heres the plan. We sneak you out. Youll have to climb through Y/Ns bedroom balcony because he leads to the garden in the back. Hide in the bushes and dont you dare move unless you want to die, you understand me? Ill come around to meet you and walk you as far as I can until youre out of sight and then you run, got it?
The boy nodded and you expected him to look scared or nervous but he only just looked empty and numb. Five minutes later and you were all in your bedroom, trying desperately to help the boy out the window even though his wounds werent entirely healed and he winced each time he moved. Jin would run outside and start making his way down so he could meet the boy outside and IU went to guard the door of your room. As the boy was climbing over the banister of the balcony, he turned back to you with his eyebrows knitting together and, for the first time, you had finally seen how scared he looked. Except, he wasnt scared for himself, he was scared for you.
Whats going to happen? he asked.
Nothing, You assured. My father wont find you if you go with Jin. Youll be safe.
What about you?
Hes my father. He wont hurt me.
The boy wanted to tell you the same thing you had told him before, that that kind of thinking could get you killed, but he resisted the urge. He would let you have your blissful ignorance and wouldnt tear you from your still innocent and child-like world that he had been ripped from long ago.
Will we see each other again? You asked.
I dont know, The boy said. But thank you for everything. I dont think Ill ever forget you.
You smiled and nodded in agreement. Like wise.
And then he was climbing down the tree next to your balcony and disappearing into the bushes down below. IU would pull you away from the window because your father was home and he was calling for you while the rest of his men had started searching the house (for, as your father put it, security reasons and wouldnt actually tell you the truth).
Jin would return later on that night and he would tell you he got the boy as far away as he could but it still left you wondering and hoping about him.
You hoped he would be okay, that he would make it safely back to his home, and that he wouldnt forget you.
However, it would be much to your ten year old dismay that you and the Jeon boy would grow up and forget entirely that your encounter with one another had ever happened in the first place.
Maybe it was better off that way.
After all, the Jeons were supposed to be your enemy.